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'In Paris, he was enjoying the baguettes or the red wine...'
Ireland forward Tadhg Beirne has outlined his delight at playing with Simon Zebo at Munster this season. Their paths hadn’t crossed before, Zebo moving to Racing before Beirne jumped at the chance to join Munster from Scarlets, but the respective 2013 and 2021 Lions tour picks are now part of Johann van Graan’s provincial squad this term as well as being Ireland colleagues as both were part of the Andy Farrell set-up for the Autumn Nations Series.
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It has been a massive fillip for Munster having Zebo back at the club he left in 2018 to try his luck in France where he was denied Champions Cup glory in October 2020 when Racing were defeated by Exeter in the final at Ashton Gate.
While Beirne was entitled to some downtime following his recent exploits on the pitch with Ireland, Zebo, who wasn’t capped, was instead part of the Munster squad that travelled to South Africa for their suddenly cancelled URC matches, the story that is the backdrop to next Sunday’s Champions Cup round one tie away to Wasps in England.
Beirne has now spoken about Munster’s preparations for that match on the latest edition of The Rugby Pod and about his recent Ireland experiences. He also took time out to talk about Zebo at the behest of show co-host Andy Goode, who chucked the popular 31-year-old’s name into the conversation he was having with Beirne and fellow co-host Jim Hamilton. Here is what unfolded:
GOODE: I follow him [Zebo] on social media. He is always doing his stuff with a smile on his face. How good is it to have him back?
Migraines, Nativity plays, @premrugby round-up, and big @beirney25 joins to chat @ChampionsCup @URCOfficial, Ireland and B& I Lions ??
Have a listen: https://t.co/BoOA0ld7a3 pic.twitter.com/ZBsvtzonyV
— The Rugby Pod (@TheRugbyPod) December 7, 2021
BEIRNE: He is literally like that in person, I don’t think I have not seen him smiling. He is very happy to be out there doing his thing. He is class for our environment and we are enjoying having him back at Munster.
HAMILTON: What kind of shape is he in, Tadhg. Looking at him in Paris just visually, I don’t know whether it was the white and blue stripes, he was enjoying the baguettes or the red wine. What kind of shape is he in?
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BEIRNE: There is not too many baguettes to get in Ireland or pain au chocolat so he is in good shape. If he was in bad shape, I didn’t know him back then. He has sorted himself out if that was the case.
HAMILTON: Yeah, he has sorted himself out just from what I can see aesthetically.
GOODE: Jim, you’re horrible.
Beirne wrapped up the interview by explaining the influence that assistant Munster coach Graham Rowntree has had in helping to develop his game as a forward at the club. “Huge. Especially personally, he has been really good for me. I have had a lot of one-on-ones with him after games reviewing and seeing where I can improve and what I need to focus on. He has been class around that area. I have really enjoyed him.”
Comments on RugbyPass
ABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
225 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
225 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
84 Go to comments